Instrument for taking soundings.



J. L. H. HAND.

I INSTRUMENT FOB TAKING SOUNDiNGS.

APPLICA'I'ICIN FlLED DEC-11,1916- Patented Oct. 22, 1918..

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time snare rarnnr orrrcn JOHN L. H. HAND, 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR T0 JOHN E. HAND & SONS 00., 0F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

INSTRUMENT FOR TAKING SOUNDINGS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1918.

Application filed December 11, 1916. Serial No. 136,219.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN L. H. HAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Instrument for Taking Soundings, of which the following is a specification.

The principal object of the present 111- vention is to provide an instrument for taking soundings in which is combined maximum simplicity, durability and efficiency in order to render the same commercially more valuable than like instruments now upon the market.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an instrument of this character in which the column of water brought up with the instrument, when taking sound ings, designates the depth of the body of water sounded more accurately than with instruments of like character in present use.

further object of the present invention is to provide an instrument for taking soundings in which is employed a valve of non-returnable characteristics for the positive prevention of escape of air from the instrument and of such construction as to reduce to a minimum the possibility of the same getting out of order.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a readily detachable valve of this character in order that substitutions thereof may be quickly effected if desired.

A st'll further object of the present invention is to provide valve of this character which serves the additional function of an efiicient gasket between the instrument body and cap.

lVith these and other objects in view, the invention consists of the improvements hereinafter described and finally claimed.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof and in which a Figure 1 is a view in central section of an instrument embodying features of the invention.

Fig. Q-is a front view of the upper portion thereof with the cap in open position and the valve removed therefrom.

Fig. 3 a top or plan view of the valve.

Fig. i is an elevational view thereof; and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view thereof.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention, I have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred by me since the same has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can e variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and tie scribed.

In the drawings, the sounding instrument is shown as embracing a tubular casing, the base 11 of which is closed, is cylindrical in form and is of heavy construction, which base terminates in a tapered body 12 of lighter construction. The tapered body is provided with a resilient guide piece 13 fbr cooperating with the inner wall of a guard-tube when said caslng 1s inserted therein for sounding purposes. Preferably formed integral with the body 12 at the top thereof is an enlarged annular head 14, provided with two sets of laterally disposed lugs 1516 and with an annular recess 17 located in the top of said head. Pivoted between the lugs 15 is a bolt 18 provided with a butterfly-nut 19 for the purpose of securing to place a cap about to be described. This cap comprises a disk-like member 20 hinged between the lugs 16 of the head 14 and provided with spaced laterally disposed lugs 21 adapted to assume alining relation with the lugs 15 when the cap is in closed position. Communicating with the atmospheric air at a point between the lugs 21 and extended horizontally through the cap is a channel 22 which eX- tencls as far as and in turn communicates with a central, vertically disposed, clownwardly extended channel :23. This channel 23 extends down through the disk-like member 20 and through a nipple 24 preferably formed integral therewith. Surrounding the nipple is an annular recess 25 adapted to register with the annular recess 17 when said cap is in closed position. Removably seated upon the under face of member 20 is a one piece valve of non-returnable characteristics constructed of pliable material as rubber. This valve embraces a generally disk like member recessed upon its upper face as at 26 and provided upon its opposite face with a depending rectangular extension 27 having a slit-like passage entirely therethrough. This passage extends vertically therethrough and communicates with the apertured portion :28 of the disk-like member. T his aperture in turn fits over the nipple at of the cap, recessed portion 26 abuts against the part 29 of the cap and the annular and rounded rim of the valve seats within the annular recess of the cap. lhe walls of that portion of the extension 27 located adjacent the bottom of the valve are thinner than are the lower walls thereof. By such construction, the thickened walls of the er;- tension abut and the thinner walls are spaced so that the walls of the portion of the aforesaid passage in communication with aperture 28 of ti e valve are appreciably separated at all times and the walls of the passage at the bottom of said extension are closed except when water under pressure forces them apart in passing to the casing 10. That portion of the extension 2? wherein the thin walls connect with the under face of the valve may be reinforced as at :29" to provide strength and stability. With the cap includlng the valve which adheres thereto moved into operative position upon the casing head, the rounded under portion of rim 30 of the valve is seated within the annular recess of the head and as the cap and head are clamped together by the bolt and nut connection before mentioned, the lower and upper rim portions of the valve coiiperate with the recesses in the head and cap to provide an e'liicient gasket or washer to pr vent leakage. The rim 30 is circular in cross-section, see Fig. 5.

The above described instrument is used in the well understood manner of obtaining soundings and, in operation water passes between the lugs of the head and cap and finds its way by channels 23 and aperture 28 to the passage through the extension 27 of the valve at which point pressure of water canses'the lower walls of the extension to separate sufficiently to form an intake orifice to permit water to pass within the casing 10. It is essential in an instrument for making soundings depending upon atmospheric pressure for its operation that air contained in the casing 10 shall not escape to the atmospheric air during a sounding period. lt is necessary that the air contained in the casing 10 shall be confined and compressed by the pressure of water, which of course increases with the depth of water being sounded and that the difference in pressure between the air compressed and the weight of water determines the amount of Copies of this patent "may be material having a obtained for five cents each, by addressing the water admitted to the casing 10. in this respect the valve above described being of non-returnable characteristics precludes the possibility of air within the casing 10 finding its way to the atmospheric air. Likewise during a raising period, it will be understood that the valve acts against return of water in that the walls of the lower end of extension 27 are in abutting relation thus preventing escape of water as well as air. This is important since an accurate test may be made in that no water has escaped from the casing 10 during lifting of the instrument. The depth of water within the instrument for taking soundings may be measured with a suitable scale, as is well known, in order to ascertain the depth to which the instrument has been lowered.

It will now be apparent that I have devised a novel and useful construction which embodies the features of advantage enumerated as desirable in the statement of th invention and the above description and while I have in the present instance shown and described the preferred embodiment thereof which has been found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, it is to be understood that the same is susceptible of modifications in various particulars without departing from the spirit or scope of the invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

lVhat 1 claim is:

In combination, a casing having a closed bottom and an open top which top has an annular recess therein, a cover hinged to said casing, which casing is provided with a nipple surrounding which is an annular recess, there being a channel in communication with atmospheric air extending through said nipple, a thin, flat mem er of pliable depression therein surrounded by a rim of circular cross-section fitted between said casing and cover, the rim of said member being accommodated by said recesses and said nipple fitting within said depression, which member has projected from the central part thereof an extension having a slitted portion extended there through in register with the channel in said cover, the upper part of which slit is open and the lower part of which is normally closed in a yielding position, there being appreciable clearance between the said rim and said extension to permit the extension to freely enter said casing during the closing of the cover and means for clamping said cover to place.

in testimony whereof, I have hereunto signed my name,

JGl-lhl L. HAND.

l fitnesses:

JOHN Du Francesco, Amos hf. Precocu.

Gommissioner of Iatents,

Washington, D. C. 

